A single ilvaite crystal on a bit of matrix. Ilvaites were the first thing to hit the market from Huanggang. At first they were large single crystals averging about 5-6 cm, but by Tucson 2011 there were 15 cm clusters of multiple crystals, and some individual crystals reaching over a foot in length. Of course, all of that was in the 5-figure range, and the pieces I am posting here are (considerably) more modest. I didn’t buy any in Tucson, or in Denver, simply because the prices were stupid and in most cases higher than what I have posted here. I know for a fact that the ilvaites in particular were not being sold expensively in China, yet by the time they reached Tucson it was almost impossible to get even a decent-yet-unremarkable single crystal for less than $200. If a specimen had a “branch” and consisted of more than a single crystal, or if there was any matrix, the price would go up to $350 minimum. With all that said, I think the prices here are quite reasonable, and probably less than you would pay at a show for similar pieces. I have tried to get examples with bits of matrix or with secondary crystals.